It’s a sweet day in business when you get to the point where your brand is loved. This Valentine’s Day, we surveyed a host of companies to find out their best advice for creating a brand that clients will fall in love with. We’ll also look at what one of the world’s most powerful brands, Tesla, has done to garner this influence. We’ve also featured some tips from our CEO Laura Kozelouzek, who has created and run numerous multi-million dollar enterprises including our Miami shared work space.
Give Your Clients a Voice
The most effective brands are those ones who listen to their clients, get their clients involved the most, and reflect the views, preferences, and desires of those whom they serve.
Tesla is a great example of how to do this right. The electric car brand has always been keen on having the customer experience at the center of the car’s design. You can see from Tesla fan videos such as this one how this has led to downright obsessions on behalf of the vehicles’ users.
As opposed to using traditional advertising methods, such as commercials, Tesla decided to hold a contest last summer in which the top fan videos were selected. They then shared these videos on social media (Lambert, 2017).
Here’s how that was a great branding tool.
- First of all, there’s nothing better than a glowing recommendation from a satisfied customer. By rewarding and making them more visible, they inspired more users to generate their own videos and hence multiplied the positive buzz.
- Second of all, advertising this way has increased their marketing authenticity. When a customer makes a testimonial, it goes way further than any marketing pitch or anything a company says in its own brochure. Companies don’t do this enough. Video is a way more transparent and real way of communicating than through words. More expression is conveyed and the passion really shines through.
- Thirdly, by giving customers a voice, Tesla showed the world that they are all about the people. This connected people to the Tesla brand on a personal level. By doing this, Tesla took their relationship with their customers past the dealership. The connection with Tesla, people see, goes past that of buyer and seller, past the holiday card that your car salesperson sends you every December. Documenting live footage of people using Tesla gave the brand another dimension, one that was real.
Many companies make the mistake that clients want to be given things. Some people want perks tied up with a bow and extra little treats, but for the most part, people aren’t really looking for that when they go out to make a purchase. They want high quality service that is focused on them, coupled with an incredible experience. They want to be listened to on a one on one basis. They want to feel that by making this purchase they have become a part of something bigger than themselves, of a body of people who act and think a certain way. They want to feel as if they now belong to something.
Connect In a Real Way
Laura Kozelouzek knew when she created Quest Workspaces that communication was going to be the way to make people fall in love with her Miami shared work space. And in order to do this, she knew she needed to communicate with them in the realest way possible.
In Laura’s book, scheduled for publication later this year, she talks about how she was able to engage her clients at Quest. How did she move people? Through the power of “why.”
To quote Laura:
Think back to your childhood. Did you ever ask your parents why you had to go to bed early and they responded with, “Because I said so.” That wasn’t a very satisfying answer. It’s the same as an adult. When we know why we’re doing something and even better when we can actually get behind and be passionate about it, that’s when the real power comes into play.
When you want to motivate someone to get onboard with something you are doing, and to be happy about it, tell them about why. Why is it important? Why should they care? Why do you care? Why should they do what you suggest?
Communicating this way changes the whole game psychologically. It moves the listener from being passive to being an active participant. It gives them power. It puts them in the driver’s seat. It makes them want to be a part of it.
Business is about relationships and connections with other people. The stronger you can connect with people in a real way that speaks to them deep down in their core, the more successful you’ll be in helping them become a part of your brand – and love doing so!
Other Ways to Send a Sweet Valentine
There are so many different ways to send a Valentine’s Day card, just like there are many ways to make clients fall in love with your brand. Here are some examples that are particularly useful for entrepreneurs and business owners to consider.
We ask clients questions that get to the heart of their decisions, instead of only focusing on the quantitative aspects of their lives. On that note too, we don’t over-promise our services; we’re upfront in relaying that it takes hard work and discipline to achieve long term life goals. – Nicole Sullivan, CFP®, Prism Planning Partners, LLC an Illinois State registered investment advisor.
Our clients and prospects fall in love with our commitment to the environment from the electric cars I drive to the LEED Platinum headquarters that we have created, our commitment to society with our Heroes Against Heroin foundation as well as our true business of teaching clients how to invest impactfully, to truly love the companies they invest in. – Stephen Distante, Vanderbilt Financial Group
As a wealth management broker, my brand must stand out beyond my personal name. All my clients know me by name but as I mature in my practice, I realized the missing link in the validity of my firm name cannot be my last name like so many others in my industry. I’m happy to report that clients are starting to recognize my revised brand name Clear Direction Investments…I chose something that conveys the idea of driving something meaningful. – Randy Stoltz, Clear Direction Investments
Summing It Up
Interested in making a fan commercial for Quest? Please email info@questworkspaces.com with your video clip of our Miami shared work space.
Sources
Lambert, Fred. (2017, July 26th). Tesla picks top 10 fan made videos, opens them to vote for 3 winners at Model 3 event. Electrek. Retrieved from https://electrek.co/2017/07/26/tesla-fan-made-commercials-model-3-event/ on February 6, 2018.
